Unit 12: The Asian Games - Reading

Exercise 1: Choose the word or phrase - a, b, c or d - that best fits the blank space in the following passage.  The 15th Asian Games (1) _____ from December 1 through December 15, 2006, in Doha, Capital of Qatar. More than 10,000 athletes, who (2) _____ 45 countries and regions, took part in 39 sports and 424 events of the Games, the most important event in Asia. Some new events such as chess and triathlon were also (3) _____ in the Games.  The 15th Asian Games was organized at 34 sporting (4) _____, including Khalifa Stadium, which (5) _____ the opening and closing ceremonies. The Opening Ceremony of the 15th Asian Games, Doha 2006, at Khalifa Stadium, was the most (6) _____ opening of any Games with 50,000 people to get into Khalifa Stadium and more than one billion television (7) _____ The Doha Asian Games Organizing Committee (DAGOC) wanted to ensure that everybody who saw the ceremony would have a memory for life as suggested in the (8) _____ "The Games of Your Life." The 151h Asian Games was a successful sporting event that all (9) _____ would never forget. Everyone is looking forward (10) _____ the 16th Asian Games, which will be held in Guangzhou, China, from November 2 to November 18, 2010.  

Exercise 2: Read the passage carefully, then choose the correct answer. ASIAN GAMES The Asian Games, also called the Asiad, is a multi-sport event held every four years among athletes from all over Asia. The games are regulated by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) under the supervision of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). Medals are awarded in each event, with gold for first place, silver for second and bronze for third, a tradition which started in 1951. The Asian Games are dominated by the People's Republic of China. Competitors are entered by a National Olympic Committee (NOC) to represent their country of citizenship. National anthems and flags accompany the medal ceremonies, and tables showing the number of medals won by each country are widely used. In general only recognized nations are represented, but a few nonsovereign countries are allowed to take part. The special case of Taiwan was handled by having it compete as Chinese Taipei, due to the political status of Taiwan. The 15th Asian Games were held in Doha, Qatar from December 1 to December 15, 2006. The 16th Asian Games will be held in Guangzhou, China in 2010.